Echoes From Upside : Chapter 4

Chapter 4 - Discovering Clues

Two groups started looking with their respective groups.

At Alan Harvard's house...

Steve and Lily arrive at Alan's house. The house was deserted, with the main door locked and a small garden overgrown with dense grass. The surroundings gave off spooky vibes.

Steve: "So, here we are, at Harvard's house."

Lily: "It is kind of scary, don't you think?"

Steve: "Yeah, it is indeed scary." (He swallows hard.)

Lily: "The main door is closed. I think the Harvard family left a long time ago."

Steve: "Alan used to live here all by himself with his big sister, Jane Harvard."

Lily: "And how do you know all this?"

Steve: "As Alan used to be a crush of many girls, the same goes for his sister Jane. She's been a crush of many boys in her high school days."

Lily: "I see. Is she your crush too, Steve?"

Steve: "No, I don't have any crushes. Actually, there is a girl whom I love a lot, and I can't think about any other girl except her. I always see her in my thoughts among thousands of beautiful flowers."

Lily: "Oh, I see, Mr. poet. Very romantic, mhm." (She smiles.) "By the way, who is that lucky girl?"

Steve: (Looking into Lily's eyes) "Leave it. Now, let's find a way into Alan's house so that we can find any clues."

Lily: "Oh yeah, yeah, I totally forgot about that."

Steve and Lily enter through the back door of Alan's house, which is partially open.

Steve: "So many spiderwebs with cracks on the walls and floor. Let's go deeper."

Lily: "Yeah, we have to be careful. There might be large spiders, you know."

Steve: "Don't try to scare me."

Lily: "Oh, I thought you were a scaredy-cat."

Steve: "Haha, not so funny."

As Steve goes deeper into the house, he finds the same stone that he found in the library basement. His expressions reveal that he has realized something. He picks it up and puts it in his pocket.

Lily: "Did you find something?"

Steve: "Nothing specific."

Lily: "So what now? We didn't find anything."

Steve: "Let's go back to the park near the museum and wait for the others to show up. Maybe they got some clues from the old newspapers."

Lily: "Yeah, I hope so."

Steve and Lily leave Alan's house.

At the library...

Edward, Christina, and Charles are searching for clues in old newspapers.

Edward: "Hey, guys, found something specific?"

Charles: "No, not yet."

Christina: "Same here."

While searching, Edward approaches Christina.

Edward: "Hey, Christina, I'm sorry for earlier."

Christina: "For Alan?"

Edward: "Yeah, I shouldn't have raised my voice at you."

Christina: "No, it's fine. Actually, it was my fault to think of Alan when there are missing cases in the town. I'm sorry for being such a fool then."

Edward: "No, I'm sorry. Actually..." (He looks into Christina's eyes.) "Many girls are into Alan, and he is not good for you. He will probably cheat on you, and I do care about you, Christina. You are a nice girl, so choose your love wisely." (He playfully taps Christina's forehead with his fingers and offers a quirky but gentle smile.)

Christina's gaze freezes on Edward. Her expression is a mix of surprise and uncertainty. She is left momentarily speechless, her thoughts racing as she absorbs his words and the concern in his eyes.

Edward: "Now, let's focus on our task. Let's see if we can find something specific in old newspapers about the past missing cases."

Edward returns to searching the newspapers.

Charles: "Hey, guys." (He approaches Edward and Christina.) "I found some past unsolved missing cases."

Edward: "Good job, Charles. Now, let's find something specific in all these cases."

Edward notices a pattern.

Edward: "Hey, guys, there's a sequence in which all these cases have occurred. See, every month, there is a missing case, and at that time of the month, the town has a program or fair—something townwide in a specific place."

Christina: "And this time, in three days, the town is having another carnival at Carnava Ground, which is way too large, built to accommodate these types of events."

Edward: "And the last case was on February 28th, Alan Harvard's case. At that time, the town announced a ceremony for the town's mayor's marriage."

Christina: "So, Alan Harvard must have gone missing there."

Edward: "Yeah, and the carnival is in three days, on March 28th."

Charles: "I've seen this type of scenario in movies and video games, where the victim is always targeted in a crowded place where nothing is noticed due to the heavy noise from the crowd."

Edward: "Now, let's go back to the park near the museum and inform Steve and Lily about the pattern."

Edward, Charles, and Christina leave the library.

At the park near the museum...

Edward's group meets up with Steve's group.

Edward: "Did you guys find something?"

Steve: "No, nothing specific. What about you guys?"

Edward explains the pattern of missing cases and everything his group discovered.

Steve: "Oh, that's insane. Such a big pattern, and no one, not even the police, noticed it?"

Edward: "I don't know about the police, but listen, we have to attend the carnival that starts at 6 pm at Carnava Ground on Sunday."

Steve: "I hope we'll now get all the answers behind the missing cases."

Edward: "Yeah, I hope so."

Edward and his friends depart from the park near the museum.

Chapter ends.